Push for women in science to lead change
YOUNG African woman scientists need to cultivate their ideas and ambition to develop their home towns and regions.
This was according to Independent Media executive chairman Dr Iqbal Survé, who addressed more than 40 alumni and fellows at a forum hosted by the Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future at a forum at the V&A Waterfront yesterday.
The Schlumberger Foundation, an independent non-profit entity that supports science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education, has set up the Faculty for the Future programme to create a community of women leaders in the Stem fields, who will support the development of their home countries by tackling local challenges.
Survé referenced last year’s discovery of a relative of humankind, Homo naledi, at the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site in Gauteng as part of the growing body of science discovery, and the media’s critical role in promoting the sciences.
He said the collaboration between the scientific community and the media led to worldwide recognition of arguably one of the greatest archaeological breakthroughs in South Africa through the discovery.
“This (coverage of Homo naledi) is a great example of where something would have been, maybe, an article on page seven in the science and technology section, became the front page… What was amazing about this was the response from the communities, and in particular from the schools. The schools were asking for more and more copies of the newspapers to be able to teach it in their classrooms.”
The Schlumberger programme was launched 12 years ago, and has hosted meetings in the UK, the US, France and the United Arab Emirates.
Foundation president Roseline Chapel said: “The foundation has been involved in many programmes, most of them around education. We also promote science in schools and universities around the world.
“This programme was started in 2004 and is focused on increasing the number of scientists worldwide, in particular, woman scientists.” – ANA